Haas poised for Northern Trust Open repeat

Pacific Palisades, CA (Sports Network) - Defending champion Bill Haas fired a
7-under 64 on Saturday to grab a 3-stroke lead after three rounds of the
Northern Trust Open.

Haas turned in the low round of the day and jumped into the top spot at 12-
under 201 through 54 holes. On Sunday, he'll shoot for his first PGA Tour win
since dispatching Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley in a playoff here last
year.

A pair of major winners, Webb Simpson and Charl Schwartzel, both shot 68s at
Riviera Country Club to move into a tie for second place with John Merrick
(70) at 9-under. The 2011 Masters champion Schwartzel is making his PGA Tour
season debut.

Overnight co-leaders Fredrik Jacobson and Sang-Moon Bae both failed to
maintain the pace on Saturday. The former got caught in the high, dry kikuyu
grass on the par-4 fifth and stumbled to a double bogey before eventually
ending with a 72.

World No. 3 Luke Donald, who is also making his PGA Tour season debut, shot 70
and moved into a tie for fifth place with Jacobson at 8-under.

Josh Teater (68) and Charlie Beljan (68) are 7-under, Hunter Mahan (68) and
Sergio Garcia (69) are 6-under, and Adam Scott (70) is 5-under. Garcia was in
second place at the end of the opening round.

Bae, meanwhile, tumbled to 4-under with a third-round 76. The second-year
player from South Korea had five bogeys and a double-bogey against just two
birdies on Saturday.

Mickelson, Bradley and world No. 8 Lee Westwood are 3-under through 54 holes.